Fireplace

This post is about the fireplace, a 5 month project. Here is a picture of our living room on the day we moved in. Wow. Ugly. Focus on the white painted bricks and the weird wood burning stove insert where there used to be a fireplace.

Many, many hours of labor went into the time between the above image and the below image. Way back in the summer Ronnie and my mom had to first remove the wood burning stove...no easy task. Then a few weeks ago Ronnie and his bro had to demo all of that brick on the wall and the bench. Ronnie slept for 13 hours straight the night they did that. In this picture they're removing the old fireplace insert that was too damaged to use.

Who is going to lift this out?!

A broken back and a gouge in my new floor brings us to this stageThe work between the above picture and the below picture is unknown. When Ronnie started cutting drywall to make the new insert fit, I left. Ellie and I went in the family room and watched Cake Boss. Next thing I know, Ronnie has a fire burning in our living room!

Here's Molly, "chillin' by the new fire" (her exact words)

Now, any ideas for a mantle or brick or stone work?